York News-Time Reprint
- CHRIS DUNKER
Lincoln Journal Star
The National Science Foundation awarded a University of Nebraska-led research collaborative $10 million to boost the state’s competitiveness in STEM fields.
NU’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, known as EPSCoR, will use the grant funding to connect talent at Nebraska’s public and private colleges with students and teachers across the state.
EPSCoR programs have been used to increase research investments in states that historically receive less federal research funding than their peers.
The new four-year grant will fund the Nebraska Strengthening Partnerships for Innovation, Research, and Education (NSPIRE), according to Matt Andrews, director of Nebraska’s EPSCoR office.
NSPIRE will create an online directory of research equipment, facilities and services across several institutions and businesses, Andrews said, and will help create a statewide pipeline for intellectual property.
The collaborative will also support STEM programming for students, K-12 teachers and higher education faculty, and will help continue funding the Young Nebraska Scientists program.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Southeast Community College, Mid-Plains Community College and Creighton University will take part in NSPIRE, according to a news release.
NU’s technology transfer offices, including NUtech Ventures and UNeMed Corporation, as well as Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Statewide Workforce & Education Reporting System, are also involved in NSPIRE.
The new partnership is funded through the EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems, or E-CORE.
“E-CORE investments build sustainable research capacity and partnerships,” said Jose Colom Ustariz, an EPSCoR program officer at the National Science Foundation. “The program’s goal is to enhance the research ecosystem in EPSCoR jurisdictions, especially their research and innovation competitiveness, via sustainable infrastructure.”
NU system President Jeff Gold said the National Science Foundation grant “recognizes the importance of driving collaboration in driving innovation.”
“The NSPIRE project will strengthen connections between research, education and community engagement while expanding opportunities for our students, communities, and state,” Gold said in a statement.
EPSCoR has brought more than $217 million in science funding to Nebraska over the last 35 years, including for UNL’s Center for Root and Rhizobiome Innovation and Nebraska’s Emergent Quantum Materials and Technologies collaboration.
Reach the writer at 402-4737120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Bluesky @chrisdunker. bsky.social
